Injuries giveth and taketh for Trent

The season-ending injury to third cornerback Adam Jones has put Morgan Trent back where he was last year as a rookie. As a sixth-round pick out of Michigan, he took advantage of David Jones’ injury in the spring last year and moved into his third corner role early in the season.

Literally, that’s how it goes in the NFL. Injuries to a couple of guys named Jones get you in there. And now Morgan is hurt himself, unable to practice Wednesday and Thursday after aggravating a knee issue. He says “we’ll see” when it comes to his availability. But if he can play, the Bengals are turning to a guy that already has the battle scars of experience.

Remember a week last November?

In a red zone stand in Pittsburgh last year, he knocked away a pass from Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes on third down late in the first half to force a field goal in a game the Bengals would win, 18-12. His blitz on the opening series of the second half was also huge, resulting in a tipped ball and interception for defensive lineman Frostee Rucker that set up the tying field goal at 9-9.

Then, the next week in Oakland, Trent let wide receiver Louis Murphy get behind him for a tying 29-yard touchdown with 33 seconds left in a game the Raiders would win, 20-17.

“In this league, it’s a week to week thing; you can’t get too high or too low,” Trent said. “You take every experience you can and use it in a positive way.”

Trent has learned at the knee of cornerback Leon Hall, as he has ever since he studied him at Michigan when Hall took Trent under his wing during Trent’s switch from wide receiver. Both San Diego kids who went to Michigan and whose wives knew each other before they knew each other, they are close on and off the field and it has eased Trent’s transition to the pro game.

Like Hall, Trent plays the slot and that is a high point of concern because Hall has also been out with a hamstring injury and safety Chris Crocker would have a tough matchup in AFC third-down receptions leader Davone Bess in there Sunday.

“The experience I got last year was invaluable,” Trent said. “It’s not like I’m seeing things for the first time.”

But rookie cornerback Brandon Ghee is and he got a little bit of a break Thursday when Johnathan Joseph returned to practice in limited fashion to at least gave the Bengals three healthy corners on the field. On Wednesday, Ghee and practice-squadder Rico Murray had to take all the snaps with the first defense because they were the only healthy ones.

Ghee estimated he lost about four pounds of water weight Wednesday after a regular season he maybe has worked a handful of snaps against the scout team instead of going the whole day. But he had similar busy days in training camp and the preseason and says his biggest adjustment is picking up calls from first-team safeties Crocker and Chinedum Ndukwe.

Ghee also says he feels fine two months after taking that hellacious shot in Buffalo in the preseason. He was sidelined for a couple of weeks with a concussion when he lost consciousness for a few moments on a fourth-and-one tackle try. He says he’d do it again, but this time keep his head up.

On Friday we saw Andy Dalton gather round his top guns for the first time since 2013. It’s also the first time we’ve seen Dalton and his receivers since they had another bonding session as he continues to expand his leadership at the urging of Hue Jackson.